Glen Fuhl, president and CEO of Video King, is photographed as he organizes shelves in one of his stores in Winnipeg Thursday, March 7, 2024. Fuhl is planning to close up shop after forty years in the movie business. April 6 will be the day he turns off the lights for good. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods.But, when an acquaintance approached him with an opportunity to become the owner of Video King, a flourishing independent rental store in a then-rising industry, Fuhl took a chance.
Even as chain rental stores such as Blockbuster and Rogers Video shut their doors in the mid-2000s, becoming victims of streaming services and the digital movie revolution, Video King was able to keep people coming back with its employee expertise and selections.
Fuhl used to bring in an average of 36 new movie titles in a month. He said for all of last year, he had 14.The businessman and councillor in the rural municipality of Springfield bought into the business in 1988. It also includes distribution of movies to other vendors, such as convenience stores across the province.
“ always had B-movies, the classics, your A-list movies. I’ve always been able to get a variety, but he always seems to have the odd one that’s kind of unique or a little bit hard to find,” Smith said in an interview.Smith spent hours in the store over the years chatting with employees about new releases and recommendations. It’s those moments that he said he will miss the most.